"I think certainly I have expressed more than a few times the frustrations with a government shutdown and how useless it is, " Capito said Tuesday.

FILE - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, right, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pose for photographers after speaking on Capitol Hill in response President Donald Trump's prime-time address on border security, in Washington, Jan. 8, 2019. "It's cold out here, and the temperature wasn't much warmer in the Situation Room". Schumer refused to give an answer on the spot, first calling up Pelosi and talking it over with her - the two agreed not to take the deal. "What we hear from Republican members and, frankly, quietly from many Democrat members is that when they see the scope of this crisis, when they see the facts presented to them, that they understand why the president is so adamant about doing something meaningful to advance border security".

In a Tuesday statement from Pelosi and Schumer, the Democratic leaders said, "Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans in Congress have repeatedly urged the President and Leader McConnell to end the Trump Shutdown and re-open the government while Congress debates the President's expensive and ineffective wall".

Trump plans a visit to the border Thursday as he continues to argue for the wall that was a signature promise of his 2016 presidential campaign.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a $24 billion spending bill that funds the IRS and other agencies affected by the partial government shutdown through September 30, as Democrats look to flex their new majority to put pressure on congressional Republicans amid the ongoing standoff. "What the president made clear today is he is going to stand firm to achieve his priorities: to build a wall, a steel barrier on the Southern border".

He addressed the nation as the shutdown stretched through its third week, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers going without pay.

"The president seems to be insensitive to that", Pelosi said.

Trump left the meeting with an upbeat message, saying Senate Republicans are "unified" while Democrats are anything but.

By declaring a national emergency, Trump could circumvent Congress' authority under the U.S. Constitution to appropriate funds and redirect money at his direction. "I really believe the Democrats and the Republicans are working together". He suggested the issue could be resolved in a quick meeting, but past discussions at the White House have not ended the stalemate.

Also included in the bill with regard to border security was $366.5 million for technology, $7.7 million to hire additional U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers, $224.6 million for inspection equipment at ports of entry and $7.08 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A handful of GOP senators have broken with their party and voiced concern about the shutdown. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. "I don't think they're a good way to govern, and we ought to be able to get our work done".